PALO
ALTO, Calif – Far
be it for me to add to the praise of what many consider Mozart’s
finest opera. This
comic tale of blossoming young love and love rekindled had enchanted
operagoers for over two hundred years.
Others have exhausted superlatives when describing this
musical marriage of comedy and delicate, expressive music.
To my delight West Bay Opera’s
Marriage of Figaro was an exceptionally well produced
yet intimate chamber opera.
Normally,
I am not fond of opera performed in translation.
However, the Martins translation preserved the poetry of the
words while retaining all of the poignancy and humor.
The effective text drew the entire audience a whirlwind day
in the Almaviva household and left them roaring with laughter.
I believe Mozart would have approved.
Maestro
Sloss led a briskly paced performance which began with a
delightfully detailed reading of the famous overture.
How fortunate he is to have such a group of skilled
musicians, notably the string section.
In
his West Bay Opera debut, Jason Detwiler was a force of nature.
His beautiful bass-baritone voice in Act I aria “Se vuol
Ballare” conveyed both Figaro’s determination to thwart the
sexual advances of the Count while demonstrating a hint of
apprehension about his bride-to-be Susanna.
Never once did Detwiler succumb to portraying this complex
character in an oafish manner.
Detwiler was both noble and poignantly funny in his Act IV
“Tutto e Disposto” and
“Aprite un po”.
What sets Detwiler apart is his tremendous acting skill and
physicality on stage. This
young singer is certainly one to seek out in local opera venues and
beyond.
Also
debuting was Alison Greene as the witty and wily Susannah whose
exuberance burst forth immediately in “Se a caso Madame”.
The onstage catfight between Marcellina and Susanna was
deftly performed to a T. “Deh vieni non tradar”
was sung with the wisdom of an woman who truly understands
and indulges her husband.
As
the wayward Count Almaviva, Michael Taylor sang with stentorian tone
and cut a rakish presence on stage.
The Counts first aria does not come until quite late in the
score affording Taylor with plenty of opportunity to flesh out the
Count's character in recitatives and ensemble singing.
He’s an unrelenting skirt chaser, repenting
his adulteries only when circumstances demand it.
“Vedro mentir io sospiro” seemed to renew his
unswerving resolve to do as he pleased.
Yet Taylor imbued the Count with a sense of charm and humor
when duped.
The
Countess Almaviva, Shana Blake Hill, has the tough job of opening
Act II with the killer aria “Porgi Amor”.
Hill filled the aria with languid desire for the bygone days
of marital bliss. Her
stage presence was regal, yet possessing the endearing, simple charm
of the woman the Count wooed and won years earlier.
This wistfulness was renewed again in “Dove Sono”
wherein Hill moved through the emotional gamut of anger to wistful
longing. Only in
the Act III letter duet did the singing not quite take flight.
“Che soave zeffieretto” just seemed to lose its
Italianate poetry in translation.
And
what is Marriage of Figaro without the lusty exuberance of
Cherubino? Sonia
Gariaeff proved up to the task with a wonderful mezzo soprano voice
with an amazing high extension.
She was utterly believable as the hormonal adolescent youth,
negotiating both “Non so piu” and “Voi che sapete”
with vocal agility and ease. Her
coltish figure and boyish demeanor were both believable and
endearing.
As
Bartolo Michael Morris navigated the delightful basso buffo “La
vendetta” with wonderful aplomb.
His delivery of the tricky text was crisply accurate.
Marcellina, Karen Carle, made the transition from the
determined spinster battle-axe to doting Mother, charming the
audience with her plush mezzo.
Rounding out the cast Christopher Fernandez’s suitably
unctuous Basilio was sung with crisp diction and a bright tenor
tone. Otak Jump proved
to be a charming and cantankerous Antonio.
The Barbarina of Sabrina Harris proved to be a suitably
oversexed counterpart to Cherubino, without stooping to being a
bimbo. Dan Armistead
breathed life into Don Curzio, a character which is usually just a
cipher.
Much
of the success of this production should be credited to the skillful
stage direction of David F. Ostwald.
An effective Marriage of Figaro requires dozens of
entrances and exits. The
comings and goings were negotiated with a sense of grace and
naturalism which never seemed an afterthought.
The characters moved well on stage and related well to one
another, buffoonery and clowning was never in evidence.
The ambitious sets of Peter Crompton were skillfully
executed. In
particular the beautiful scene IV garden combined with the sensitive
lighting of Chad Bonaker created a wonderful moonlit effect.
The opulent period costumes of Callie Floor were surprising
for such a small opera company.
Congratulations
to West Bay Opera! This
is a newfound musical treasure for me.
Their Marriage of Figaro proved to be a very
satisfying and rewarding evening of opera.
Terri
Stuart is a Classical Voice correspondent from San Francisco East
Bay.
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